The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1351834
24 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2021 in the same box as to what we were looking for, but with Kyle, com- mitting to Michigan from his area would have gotten a lot more [nega- tive] attention in his surrounding community." MSU had great success with in- state recruits over the last several years, but Michigan closed the gap and then some on Tom Izzo's squad during Beilein's tenure. It was a head-to-head recruiting battle between the rivals for Livers, and Beilein was elated when his staff se- cured the pledged in late summer before Livers' senior year. He had everything the coach was looking for, including a great head on his shoulders and a beautiful jump shot. "Isaiah, he just seemed to be a Michigan kid from the beginning," Beilein recalled. "He had great grades, was really a school-first guy and an unselfish teammate, almost to a fault a little bit. He was always willing to make the extra pass, and we said watching him we thought he had the potential for a great future. "When we came back and watched him his junior year, all of a sudden we could see him shaping up to be this 6-7 kid with a great body and great athleticism." Few, though, could have foreseen the impact Livers would make as a freshman. Though Duncan Robin- son got the majority of minutes at his forward position, Livers started 22 of 40 games and averaged 15.1 minutes for a team that won the Big Ten Tournament and made it to the national championship game against Villanova. Livers' offense continued to im- prove, but the main reason they started him was he could guard four positions on the floor. "All of a sudden the team got bet- ter, because [Livers] continued to get better all the time," Beilein contin- ued. "He'd stay after practice every day and really work on his game." Many wondered how he'd prog- ress when Howard replaced Beilein in 2019, a stunner to the Michigan athletics community. Livers didn't miss a beat, elevating his game while averaging 12.9 and 13.7 points the next two seasons. Howard's coaching style was dif- ferent, but it played perfectly to Liv- ers' personality. Having both of his coaches at his final home game was a memory he won't forget, and having Howard in his corner to further develop him a blessing, Livers said. "You see it. He helps people," Liv- ers added. "I feel like if Coach How- ard had a jersey his size, he would go out there and play. If that doesn't speak Coach of the Year, I don't know what does. "His passion for his players, his passion for [competition] — he's a winner. He wants us to be successful. He has my vote for Coach of the Year, for sure." A NEW ROLE Howard's players have followed his lead — as he calls them, his "coaches on the court" — and no- body's been better than Livers. He takes each matchup personally, pre- pares like every game is for a title and has been an outstanding captain. Freshman center Hunter Dickinson wasn't sure what to expect when he arrived on campus. He learned early to just keep an eye on Livers and all would work out. "Isaiah's been huge," Dickinson said. "He's one of the guys I look up Livers "When I was going through the [NBA Draft] process, one of the top priorities for me was win [the conference] outright and win a national championship." Livers shot a team-best 44.6 percent (50 of 112) from three-point range during the regular sea- son, which ranked 15th nationally among players with at least 100 attempts. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL